


Maybe

by KindlerOfStars



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Character Study, Developing Friendships, Episode: s01e13 The Blue Spirit, Gen, Internal Conflict, It's somewhat of a mix, Missing Scene, Not Beta Read, POV Alternating, The start of one, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:14:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24592885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KindlerOfStars/pseuds/KindlerOfStars
Summary: "If we knew each other back then, do you think we could have been friends too?"My take on Zuko's perspective on the events of Episode 13 of Book One:The Blue Spirit.
Relationships: Aang & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 64





	Maybe

**Author's Note:**

> Avatar is trending again! What a good time for the fandom tbh.  
> The rewatch inspired me to write this short piece, so I hope you all enjoy it!

He breathed in the night's frigid air and shifted his shoulders, feeling the familiar weight of his swords.

Sword fighting was a skill he had learnt with master Piandao since very young, with as much frequency as possible. While it was standard army training to be versed in such weapons, Zuko had dedicated himself beyond the basics. He put more determination into it than into everything else, often rising with the first rays of dawn and working well into the moonlight.

Azula would scoff and sneer at him as if swordplay, as anything that varied from firebending or intimidating people, he assumed, was a useless talent. His father, as customary, disapproved, declaring it a waste of time. _“Be like your sister.”_ It always left Zuko with a sour, soot-like taste in his mouth.

As a result, Zuko trained out of spite. At least in the beginning. As time went on, it became a personal skill. Something he wanted to do and in which he would not be compared to anyone else. It was _his_.

In firebending, he was always the second choice. The weak link, lucky to be born. He did not, however, let that discourage him. Not anymore. He was still fire nation, and more importantly, his mother's son. He had been born with fire in his veins and heat in his breath. But he didn't want to, couldn't, rely on his bending all the time.

Today, his swords and his current clothing would serve him well as a disguise.

The Avatar had gotten himself caught by Zhao, and would most likely be taken to his father. Naturally, Zuko couldn't let that happen. He had to be the one delivering him. The only choice was to rescue him from his fellow countrymen, so that the honour could be his. That was all it was.

He had honestly expected more of trained soldiers. Ambushing a few of them was laughably easy, and it seemed that being light on one's feet and having a handy bucket of water was enough to incapacitate a firebender.

_Well, less work for me, I guess._

Moving fast, he shattered the chains holding the kid with a swing of his swords.

"Who are you? What's going on? Are you here to rescue me?"

Zuko _really_ wasn't feeling talkative. Besides, he would be instantly recognized. Currently possessing neither the time nor the patience to deal with _that_ , he merely opens the door and gestures for them to move.

"I'll take that as a yes," the boy said, following the masked figure with way more trust than Zuko thought he should. Even so, he silently thanked Agni, only to seriously reconsider after barely a couple of turns.

The airbender was nowhere behind him, which sparked a mild sense of panic. It was, thankfully, short-lived.

"My frogs! Come back! And stop thawing out!"

Zuko sighed, relieved, and ran back, finding him trying to catch some… frogs? He rolled his eyes, quite content in not having to keep an inexpressive face, and grabbed him by the collar to drag him out.

"Wait! My friends need to suck on those frogs!"

 _…What?_ Even as they kept running, he vaguely wondered if those three were all idiots and if that made _him_ a bigger idiot for not finding them earlier. It took him three _years_ for Agni’s sake.

They got to the main gate quicker than Zuko anticipated, and made a surprisingly good team. Despite it, they slipped in the last wall and ended up crashing to the ground, surrounded by Zhao and his men.

"Hold your fire! The Avatar must be captured alive!"

 _So that's how it is huh?_ Zuko moved up behind the Avatar, crossing his swords in front of his throat. It was a bluff, a ruse waiting to fall apart. And a temporary ticket out. He knew it for what it was, and Zhao knew too.

In the end, it succeeded. That was, until a sharp pain hit him on the head. There was a flash, then his already dark vision went completely black.

* * *

"Where have you been, Prince Zuko? You missed music-" He was dimly aware that his uncle continued talking, rambling on about music, but the words were lost to him.

 _"If we knew each other back then, do you think we could have been friends too?"_ The kid had asked, after apparently watching over him until morning. _Why?_

Zuko, after little more than 30 seconds conscious and with a ringing headache, didn't know what to reply, so he had thrown a gust of flames in his direction. The answer continued to evade him. The number of things he didn't have a clear response to was starting to get under his skin, a dense corrosive feeling settled in his stomach.

A voice at the back of his head, probably fuelled on his lack of sleep, chuckled humourlessly. _Where have I been? Committing treason, hypothetically, of course._ He suppressed a shudder. It reminded him of Azula.

Zuko grit his teeth to keep it from blurting out. He had enough problems as it was. And he was _tired_ of it all. Exhausted. So, instead, he sighed inwardly and shrugged off the question, walking to his quarters.

"I'm going to bed. No disturbances." Uncle noticed, no doubt, observant man that he was. Zuko couldn't care less.

* * *

Lying in bed, he glared, first at the metal ceiling, then at the fire nation tapestry on the wall. Going back home was what he wanted. Restoring his honour, and his place on the throne… right? _Then what am I doing?_

Had he been unworthy, yet again, for letting the Avatar run away? In that moment, he had done what _felt_ right. _Is that not the exact same as being weak?_ Once, he had been convinced it was. He wasn’t so sure any longer.

Yes, he had been born with fire in his veins and heat in his breath. If anyone asked his father, he would proclaim that fact as a sign of innate superiority of their nation, an indication of some obscure right to power Zuko had never fully understood.

Deep down, even if sometimes his anger clouded his judgment, he feared, _dreaded_ the mere idea of being consumed by his own flames. Perhaps that made him a coward, an impostor who hid his worthless actions behind a mask.

_"If we knew each other back then, do you think we could have been friends too?"_

Zuko turned on his side, concealing the tapestry from his view. He inhaled slowly, a quivering motion that rattled in his chest, and let out an uneven gust of steam through his nose.

_Maybe._

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed it! Comments are always welcome :)  
> And stay safe everyone.


End file.
